These school-safe, nut-free lunchbox granola bars are perfect for busy days! They are perfect for parents and kids alike!
Finding healthy snacks I feel good about serving, and that my kids love to eat, is no easy feat. And this is why I’ve fallen into the not-so-great habit of sending store-bought granola bars with my son to school in the past; the thought of making homemade granola bars seemed daunting and way too time-consuming. Until I finally decided to start making them that is.
Don’t get me wrong, I know that there’s nothing wrong with offering my kids healthy store-bought snack foods once in a while, but I’ve always felt better making things like cookies, granola bars, muffins and other baked goods from scratch. After all, I know exactly what is in them! Homemade granola bars also make for great one-handed snacks for busy moms! I also have lots of inspiration for healthy school lunch ideas if you need it.
My friend and Dietitian colleague Cara Rosenbloom is a culinary whiz and has recently written her first cookbook entitled “Nourish.” She and her co-author chose to focus on family-friendly recipes using beans, nuts and seeds in their book–three nutrient powerhouses. Not surprisingly, Cara included a killer granola bar recipe in her book that packs a punch nutritionally speaking, but is also delicious and kid-approved. As a bonus, there are no nuts or nut butters, which make them safe to send to school. What I find astounding about these bars is that they are held together by only one nutritious ingredient: mashed bananas!
The various seeds that are included offer both protein and fibre — two nutrients that keep tummies full and energy levels steady and stable, and because of the bananas and dried fruit included, there is absolutely no added sugar needed. My daughter took one look at the picture inside the cookbook and asked if we could make them NOW.
Healthy Nut-Free Lunchbox Granola Bars
Easy lunchbox granola bars perfect for on-the-go!
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas, peeled
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup large flake oats
- 1/2 cup barley or oat flakes
- 1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds, roasted
- 1/2 cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds, roasted
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds or chia seeds
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries
- 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
- 1/4 cup pitted and diced medjool dates
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9X13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mash the banana until smooth. Add cinnamon, vanilla, salt, oats, and barley flakes and stir well.
- Add the toasted seeds, coconut, cherries, apricots, and dates to the banana-oat mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Spoon mixture into a baking dish. Press down until compact and even. Bake 25-30 minutes until firm and lightly golden along the edge.
- Let cool about 10 minutes. Slice into 20 bars.
Notes
Recipe From: Nourish: Whole Food Recipes featuring Seeds, Nuts and Beans by
Cara Rosenbloom, RD and Nettie Cronish
If you liked this recipe, you may also like these Double Chocolate Chia Protein Bites and well as these Sweet and Salty Lentil Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Originally posted on YMC
![[AD] Who else loves a quick, one-pot meal for the busy back-to-school season? 🙋♀️
As a dietitian and mom, I’m all about recipes that are quick, affordable, nourishing, and of course, delicious. That’s why I’ve teamed up with my friends at L’Ancêtre Cheese to bring you my Homemade One-Pot Hamburger Helper—perfect for weeknight dinners and makes awesome leftovers for lunchboxes too!
What I love most? You can toss everything—beef, pasta, veggies—into one pot, saving time and dishes! Plus, @ancetrecheese , made locally here in Canada from pasture-fed cows, adds that perfect cheesy touch. It’s organic, sustainably produced, and absolutely delicious. 🧀
What you need:
* 1.5 lbs lean ground beef
* 4 cups uncooked whole grain, regular or gluten-free pasta noodles (like rotini or macaroni)
* ½ yellow onion, diced
* 2 cups veggies of choice, diced (eg. mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower etc.)
* 1 cup frozen peas
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tsp pepper
* 1.5 cups milk of choice
* 1.5 cups chicken broth
* 1-680 mL jar tomato pasta sauce
* 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
* Tsp red pepper flakes
* 3 cups L’Ancêtre’s Marbled Mild Cheddar
Put it all together:
1. Cook beef in a large pot over medium-high heat until browned, then drain. Add onion, garlic, red pepper, mushrooms, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper; cook until veggies are tender-crisp.
2. Mix in milk, broth, tomato sauce, and uncooked macaroni. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 15-18 minutes, stirring often. Adjust liquid as needed.
3. Remove from heat, stir in frozen peas and 1 cup of cheese until melted. Transfer to a casserole dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake at 375°F for 5-10 minutes until golden. Cool before serving.
Make sure to pick up L’Ancêtre cheese (either a family-sized block or pre-shredded) at a local retailer near you! Visit https://www.fromagerieancetre.com/en/cheeses/ to find out more!
#Ad #Partner #BackToSchool #LunchboxIdeas #OrganicCheese #FamilyMeals #LAncetreCheese](https://www.sarahremmer.com/wp-content/uploads/sb-instagram-feed-images/459558167_1543212989903442_998663133378052381_nfull.webp)
![👇[AD] Dietitian-approved “snack lunches” that my kids love, in partnership with my friends at @naturesbakery 💜
Make sure to comment “snack lunch” and I’ll send you a free school-lunch cheat sheet 🙌🏻
Let’s be honest, the items kids get most excited about in their school lunches are the... snacks! So, why not build a meal-worthy “snack lunch” that your kids can be excited about opening and enjoying?
We do this often, and for good reason. It’s quick and easy for me (yay!), and my kids love helping pack them. Plus, these lunches can be just as nourishing as a “traditional” lunch. Bonus: the most often get eaten!
Here’s my “rule of 4” for building these lunches, ensuring they’re packed with the nutrients my kids need for the day:
1️⃣ Whole grains/starches
2️⃣ Protein-rich foods
3️⃣ Fruit
4️⃣ Veggies
As a dietitian Mom, I’m a huge fan of including @naturesbakery Fig Bars in my kids’ lunches. Not only do they always get eaten (aka my kids love them), but I love that they contain a simple ingredients list with whole grains and real fruit. They’re also plant-based, dairy-free and nut-free (making them perfect for school lunches!).
A typical “snack lunch” might look like this:
Charcuterie-Style
* Meats, cheese and crackers; for plant-based families, you could swap the meat and cheese with smoked tofu slices, tempeh strips or plant-based deli slices, plant-based cheeses, and hummus, roasted chickpeas or edamame.
* Cut up fruit
* Chia pudding
* A Nature’s Bakery Raspberry Fig Bar (plant-based, dairy-free, and nut-free!)
Mediterranean-focused:
* mini naan bread/pita
* Hummus
* mini caprese salad skewers
* Nature’s Bakery Blueberry Fig Bar
* Fruit
* Dried chickpeas
Fun Finger Foods:
* energy bites
* edamame beans
* Seed and banana roll-ups
* string cheese (or dairy-free alternative)
* Nature’s Bakery Raspberry Fig Bar
* Mini carrots
If you think your kids will love snack lunches, comment “snack lunch” below for a free school lunch cheat sheet ❤️
#Ad #Partner #NaturesBakery #SnackLunch #SchoolLunchIdeas #DietitianApproved #PlantBasedSnacks](https://www.sarahremmer.com/wp-content/uploads/sb-instagram-feed-images/458372728_522285503507501_4269903014098073865_nfull.webp)
Comments
Michelle says
Hi Sarah. Love these bars. And in relation to the earlier comment on nutritional info MyFitnessPal have an awesome way of calculating it for you. I just copied the url and it did it for me. I only managed to cut 18 pieces from this recipe but each bar worked out at 156 cals.
Love this bar btw it’s hard to find school friendly ones. Thank you
Sarah Remmer says
Great! Glad you enjoy 🙂
Sara Pape-Salmon says
These turned out great! I am very pleased with the flavour and they hold together really nicely! Thank you!
Sarah Remmer says
You’re very welcome!
Alicia says
How long would these keep for Sarah?
Sarah Remmer says
I freeze them! On the counter, I’d say a week.
milkful says
really awesome site and posts
keep up the hard work
Christine L says
Hi, These look delicious. Do you have the nutritional breakdown/bar.
Thanks for all the healthy recipes you post.
Sarah Remmer says
Thanks! Sorry – I don’t have a nutritional breakdown bar (I wish). Great idea though.